


How Things Are

by WynterSky



Series: Cruel World [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-14
Updated: 2015-03-14
Packaged: 2018-03-17 19:10:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3540752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WynterSky/pseuds/WynterSky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After making his decision, Fugaku has to find a way to live with it—and his wife.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How Things Are

After what everyone else now knew as the stillbirth of Mikoto’s first child, Fugaku buried himself more and more into his work, sometimes not even leaving police headquarters for days on end. He could hardly bring himself to face Mikoto, and hoped that busying himself with other things would help him forget what he had done. Of course it didn’t, but he could usually distract himself enough not to think about it.

 

This couldn’t go on indefinitely; after a few months fellow police officers began to comment on how tired he was looking. At first he brushed off these comments, but soon had to admit that he was not at his best after ruining what should have been a painfully simple pickpocketing sting.

 

A few days later, Kichirou visited him in his office and politely suggested that he consider taking a vacation. If it had been anyone else, Fugaku would have thrown them out, but Kichirou knew what was going on. Fugaku had to agree that it was a good idea; he had to be on his best form for the sake of the police force.

 

Mikoto seemed surprised when he came home and told her that he had applied for a leave of absence. Now that he wasn’t so busy, he could tell that everything about the baby had hurt her even more than him; she tried to appear cheerful for him, which only served to make him feel even more guilty for leaving her alone all the time.

 

She had left the nursery decorated, a soft, cheerful room with blue walls and little animals scattered all about. Fugaku quickly learned that whenever he couldn’t find her anywhere else she would almost always be sitting in there, staring sadly at the bassinet in the corner.

 

He found her in there one day and quietly sat down beside her. Ordinarily, he would have left her to herself, but he knew that was hardly the best way to go about things. Mikoto flung her arms around his neck as soon as she realized he was there, burying her face in his shirt and beginning to cry.

 

“Why did we have to lose him?” she gasped between sobs. “What did we do wrong?”

 

“Nothing,” Fugaku whispered into her hair. “You didn’t do anything wrong.” _It was my fault. All my fault._ “Sometimes these things just...happen.” What kind of hypocrite was he, comforting his wife for the death of their child when he was the one responsible?

 

Mikoto slowly stopped crying and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her kimono. “I’m sorry you had to see me like this,” she said with a teary smile. “Don’t worry, we’ll get through this, you’ll see.”

  
Fugaku didn’t say anything. What was there to say to that, anyway?

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted in my side-story collection on FF.net without a title. I think this one is okay but I might change it later.


End file.
